To My Readers
Curiously enough, in the events which have taken place in the last
few years in our "great outside world," we may find incidents so
marvelous and inspiring that I cannot hope to equal them with stories
of The Land of Oz.
However, "The Magic of Oz" is really more strange and unusual than
anything I have read or heard about on our side of The Great Sandy
Desert which shuts us off from The Land of Oz, even during the past
exciting years, so I hope it will appeal to your love of novelty.
A long and confining illness has prevented my answering all the good
letters sent me—unless stamps were enclosed—but from now on I hope to
be able to give prompt attention to each and every letter with which
my readers favor me.
Assuring you that my love for you has never faltered and hoping the
Oz Books will continue to give you pleasure as long as I am able to
write them, I am
Yours affectionately,
L. FRANK BAUM.
"Royal Historian of Oz."
"OZCOT"
at HOLLYWOOD in CALIFORNIA
1919.
text from ...
Even a hawk has to fly high in order to cross the Deadly Desert,
from which poisonous fumes are constantly rising. Kiki Aru felt sick
and faint by the time he reached good land again, for he could not
quite escape the effects of the poisons. But the fresh air soon
restored him and he alighted in a broad table-land which is called
Hiland. Just beyond it is a valley known as Loland, and these two
countries are ruled by the Gingerbread Man, John Dough, with Chick the
Cherub as his Prime Minister. The hawk merely stopped here long
enough to rest, and then he flew north and passed over a fine country
called Merryland, which is ruled by a lovely Wax Doll. Then,
following the curve of the Desert, he turned north and settled on a
tree-top in the Kingdom of Noland.
Kiki was tired by this time, and the sun was now setting, so he
decided to remain here till morning. From his tree-top he could see a
house near by, which looked very comfortable. A man was milking a cow
in the yard and a pleasant-faced woman came to the door and called
him to supper.
That made Kiki wonder what sort of food hawks ate. He felt hungry,
but didn't know what to eat or where to get it. Also he thought a bed
would be more comfortable than a tree-top for sleeping, so he hopped
to the ground and said: "I want to become Kiki Aru again—Pyrzqxgl!"
Instantly he had resumed his natural shape, and going to the house,
he knocked upon the door and asked for some supper.
"Who are you?" asked the man of the house.
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